Quarter horse racing returns for first time since '91

By Carlos E. MedinaCorrespondent

Friday

Nov 27, 2009 at 12:01 AM

John Brunetti knows this may be the last chance for Hialeah Park. He's poured millions into the historic South Florida thoroughbred race track, closed since 2001, in advance of its reopening Saturday as a quarter-horse track.

John Brunetti knows this may be the last chance for Hialeah Park.He's poured millions into the historic South Florida thoroughbred race track, closed since 2001, in advance of its reopening Saturday as a quarter-horse track.Brunetti, who also owns Red Oak Farm in Ocala, knows quarter horses have not raced in Florida since 1991.Still, he has two shifts of construction crews working on the track in advance of the opening and may add a third before it's all done.He also will heavily subsidize the $4 million in purses for the upcoming meet with no guarantee of success.He thinks it's worth the gamble."It's a grand experiment," he said. "We haven't had this since the early '90s, but it's a growing, vibrant industry and we have an opportunity, in conjunction with our purpose to return thoroughbred racing to Hialeah, to advance the quarter-horse market."Popular in the West, where the breed was originally developed, the full-throttle style of quarter-horse racing has some in Ocala excited about its return to Florida.Dean De Renzo, of Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds in Ocala, has long been involved in the quarter-horse industry.Though his main focus is thoroughbreds, he makes some of his speedier thoroughbred sires available to breed with quarter-horse mares and he owns and races his own stock in the West.

"I think the meet could be a real benefit to Ocala. We still have a lot of quarter-horse training centers," De Renzo said."As the meets come about, we can increase our breeding program here in Ocala, which secures jobs for grooms, riders, in the feed and tack business as well as the transport segment," he said. "The trickle-down effect is pretty important. We should encourage all sorts of racing in the state of Florida."Dr. Steve Fisch, a Tallahassee veterinarian and the president of the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, agrees."What it means is the addition of another industry to Florida," Fisch said."This will just add to the total horses inside the state and Marion County and you'll have a major influence in the industry and benefit economically," he said. "It takes about 800 to 1,000 horses to run a 40-day meet; every horse on the race track creates seven jobs."Quarter-horse races are shorter than most thoroughbred races.Races are mostly straightaway affairs of about a quarter-mile, hence the breed's name.Quick bursts of speed are what win, and jockeys don't usually have to maneuver as much as thoroughbred jockeys.The breed is typically stouter than thoroughbreds, and they have shorter legs and more developed hind-end muscles.Historically, they are a mix of American descendants of Spanish horses and later-introduced European stock.

Despite the differences, the local climate and conditions, which are favorable to thoroughbreds, also benefit quarter horses.Marion County already has an active quarter-horse training program, Fisch said.Hialeah is the first to race the breed since a flurry of renewed interest came about thanks, in part, to the popularity of poker.State laws allow the operation of card rooms at quarter-horse, thoroughbred and greyhound tracks and jai alai frontons.But, unlike other pari-mutuel venues, which require between 50- to 100-mile buffers between locations, quarter-horse tracks had no such restrictions.Seizing on those rules, at least 10 applications for quarter-horse racing permits were filed with the state since 2007.Four were ultimately granted, including one for Marion County in the name of Michael Goldstein, the grandson of an official at Pompano Park Racing, the site of the last recorded quarter-horse race.Permits were also granted for Gretna Racing in Gadsden County and Hamilton Downs in Hamilton County.Hialeah was the only entity with an existing race track."I think card rooms probably brought attention to it," De Renzo said.

"When there are more dollars and cents rolling through the door, it always does make things more desirable to open up a meet," he said. "At the end of the story, that card room money doesn't stop there; it gets distributed in purses which is what makes the industry turn."Hialeah plans back-to-back, 20-day meets starting in November and ending in February.The back-to-back schedule would satisfy the requirements set by the Florida Legislature for Hialeah to apply for a slot machine license and hold some thoroughbred races after two years.Located in Miami-Dade County, Hialeah's ability to operate slots and include up to 50 percent thoroughbred races per meet, however, is tied to the broader gaming compact between the state and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which has not received final approval.The compact would govern what type of gaming the seven Seminole-owned casinos in the state could offer.The Legislature and the Seminole Tribe remain at odds over the issues of exclusivity and how many casinos would offer blackjack and other card games.Hialeah recently named Sam Abbey as racing secretary for the upcoming meet and he is primarily focused on what they can do now."Hialeah Park has always been my favorite racetrack, and John Brunetti has been supportive of me throughout my career," Abbey said."I couldn't ask for a better opportunity and look forward to making this meet a big success," he said.While many of the runners in the inaugural meets will come from stables in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, there will be local flavor.

De Renzo is bringing some of his quarter horses in for the action."We will have some entries and probably have some stock that will be shipping east," he said. "We like that speed. It's exciting to us as horse people. I don't think it takes away from other kinds of racing. People who enjoy quarter horse racing like that fast pace."Beyond the Hialeah meet, De Renzo sees the possibility for international trade in Florida-bred quarter horses."Quarter-horse racing is popular in Mexico and many South American countries," he said. "The biggest buyers of quarter horses are Mexican buyers."Despite the estimated $15 million which will be spent, Hialeah will not reopen to its full glory.The facilities, mostly neglected for the better part of a decade, are in need of extensive repair.Only the clubhouse area of the track will be used initially.The facility requires major renovations before it can open other areas to the public.The focus, so far, has been on repairing services like plumbing, air conditioning and restroom facilities.Full restoration could take years and cost millions more.

Brunetti estimates a full restoration could cost up to $80 million.In the meantime, about 800 temporary horse stalls have been built and the track has been cleared of weeds and other debris.Originally opened in the 1920s, Hialeah Park is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and is a designated sanctuary by the Audubon Society because of its famous flocks of flamingos, which still populate the grounds."I'm praying everything will be finished in time," Brunetti said."We're hoping we can show the legislature what we can do and earn their continued support to bring Hialeah back as best as we can," he said. "We're gambling on Hialeah Park, on the city and on the citizens of Florida."

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